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Worst Justice Department . . . ever

January 13, 2009 /

More news from the farce called the Bush Administration. An internal investigation by the DOJ’s inspector general concludes the following with respect to former Justice Department official Bradley Schlozman:

The evidence in our investigation showed that Schlozman, first as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General and subsequently as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Acting Assistant Attorney General, considered political and ideological affiliations in hiring career attorneys and in other personnel actions affecting career attorneys in the Civil Rights Division. In doing so, he violated federal law – the Civil Service Reform Act – and Department policy that prohibit discrimination in federal employment based on political and ideological affiliations, and committed misconduct. The evidence also showed that Division managers failed to exercise sufficient oversight to ensure that Schlozman did not engage in inappropriate hiring and personnel practices.
Moreover, Schlozman made false statements about whether he considered political and ideological affiliations when he gave sworn testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee and in his written responses to supplemental questions from the Committee. Schlozman is no longer employed by the Department and, therefore, is not subject to disciplinary action by the Department. We recommend, however, that, if criminal prosecution is declined these findings be considered if Schlozman seeks federal employment in the future. We believe that his violations of the merit system principles set forth in the Civil Service Reform Act, federal regulations, and Department policy, and his subsequent false statements to Congress render him unsuitable for federal service.

Bush’s Justice Department has decided, however, NOT to prosecute Mr. Schlozman. What a shock.

Schlozman’s emails showed his utter contempt for anyone he deemed to be a “liberal,” and how he consistently hired conservatives for posts where it was illegal to use politics as a criteria. Oh, and he also lied to Congress about it.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Conservatives, Policy, Video

Working on the stimulus

January 13, 2009 /

The Washington Post reports that the Obama team is back off one of its tax cut proposals, as many Democrats have expressed concern tha the $3,000 jobs tax credit would be difficult to administer and could easily be abused.

I’m not sure this is the case, but it’s refreshing to see flexibility from the Obama team. Even more interesting was this observation in the article:

Even before assuming office, Obama is taking an unusually direct role in legislative efforts to move both bills forward, personally phoning lawmakers and dispatching senior aides to Capitol Hill on a near-daily basis. Today the president-elect will speak to Senate Democrats at their weekly luncheon, and he will soon appear before House Democrats, although a date has not been set, a senior Obama aide said.

Obama expects to meet with Republicans in both chambers, the aide added, although not until after he is inaugurated next Tuesday.

Obama is showing that he’s wlling to mix it up and get his hands dirty. He cares about the details, and he wants to be involved in the details. He expects government to perform well, and he’s setting the standard.

Obviously, this presents a stark contrast to George W. Bush. As I’ve said many times, expect a much different tone and work ethic over the next eight years.

Democrats, Economy, Policy, Politics

The situation in Iraq

January 8, 2009 /

With “Fiasco,” Tom Ricks wrote one of the definitive books on the Iraq War, and he’s not optimstic about the situation we face in 2009.

Obama’s first year in Iraq is going to be tougher than Bush’s last year. Three reasons for that: First, three rounds of elections are scheduled in 2009, and those tend to be violent in Iraq. Second, the easy U.S. troop withdrawals have been made, and the pullouts at the end of this year will be riskier. Finally, none of the basic existential problems facing Iraq have been answered-the power relationships between groups, leadership of the Shiites, the sharing of oil revenue, the status of the disputed city of Kirkuk, to name just the most pressing ones. Compounding the problem will be the incorrect perception of many Americans that the Iraq was all but over when Obama took office.

Despite the conventional wisdom that the war is nearly over, Obama’s war in Iraq may last longer than Bush’s, which clocks in at a robust 5 years and 10 months. “So now you back in the trap–just that, trapped,” to quote Big Boi and Dre. My best guess is that we will have at least 35,000 troops there in 2015, as Obama’s likely second term is winding down. (Self-promotional moment: more on all this in my book “The Gamble: General Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-08,” out Feb. 9 from Penguin Press.)

I have no idea what’s going to happen in Iraq, but I suspect Obama will push hard to change the strategic situation in the Middle East, and he’s determined to wind down this war. Having 35,000 troops there in 2015 would be a disappointment.

Foreign Policy, Iraq War, Policy

Kaine embraces the 50-state strategy

January 8, 2009 /

Barack Obama just introduced Tim Kaine as the new Chairman of the DNC. In introducing Kaine, Obama praised Howard Dean’s 50-state strategy, and then Tim Kaine reiterated that praise in his own remarks. Howard Dean deserves this praise, and I’m encouraged that both Obama and Kaine emphasized this in their remarks.

Kaine also outlined an approach that would be very consistent with Obama’s bottom-up campaign style, with an emphasis on small donors and a rejection of slash-and-burn politics. This is in stark contrast to the mess over at the RNC.

Democrats

Sarah Palin – The gift that keeps on giving

January 8, 2009 /

Sarah Palin was interviewed in connection with an upcoming documentary from a conservative filmmaker about the 2008 presidential campaign. Some on the right are obsessed with the notion that the media was unfair to Palin, even when considering that Palin refused to hold a single news conference to address all the media reports she found to be unfair.

Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) believes Caroline Kennedy is getting softer press treatment in her pursuit of the New York Senate seat than Palin did as the GOP vice presidential nominee because of Kennedy’s social class.

“I’ve been interested to see how Caroline Kennedy will be handled and if she will be handled with kid gloves or if she will be under such a microscope,” Palin told conservative filmmaker John Ziegler during an interview Monday for his upcoming documentary film, “How Obama Got Elected.” Excerpts from the interview were posted on YouTube Wednesday evening.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out and I think that as we watch that we will perhaps be able to prove that there is a class issue here also that was such a factor in the scrutiny of my candidacy versus, say, the scrutiny of what her candidacy may be.”

Palin said she remains subject to unfair press coverage of her and her family.

“Is it political? Is it sexism?” she asked. “What is it that drives someone to believe the worst and perpetuate the worst in terms of gossip and lies?”

She observed that Katie Couric and Tina Fey have been “capitalizing on” and “exploiting” her.

“I did see that Tina Fey was named entertainer of the year and Katie Couric’s ratings have risen,” she said. “And I know that a lot of people are capitalizing on, oh I don’t know, perhaps some exploiting that was done via me, my family, my administration. That’s a little bit perplexing, but it also says a great deal about our society.”

Her discussion of Caroline Kennedy is ridiculous. Sarah Palin wanted to be Vice President, which would have put her one heartbeat away from the most powerful position on the planet. She was an unknown figure, and when given the opportunity to speak without notes, she came across as a bumbling fool. It’s only natural that she would have faced a media frenzy. That was the whole point behind her selection. John McCain needed to create a buzz, and she provided that buzz. She just didn’t have the ability to address the issues facing our nation in a coherent manner. That’s her fault and John McCain’s fault. She’s trying to blame the media, and she’s trying to avoid the real issues by discussing the media’s obsession with her family (they do that to everyone, including the Clintons and the Kennedys), but in the end she’s the one who blew it.

Caroline Kennedy might be appointed to the Senate. That is completely different from the Vice Presidency. There she will be one of 100 Senators. If Sarah Palin wanted to be a Senator, she would not face the same level of media scrutiny as she faced as John McCain’s running mate. Frankly, Sarah Palin, despite her obvious shortcomings, is herself qualified to be a Senator, just like Caroline Kennedy.

Of course, Sarah Palin and her supporters will never acknowledge that distinction. They play the victim card just as good as anyone on the left. First, everyone who questioned her was sexist. Now she’s bringing up class. Conservatives used to mock those on the left who wallowed in victim-style politics, and now they’re doing the same thing. It’s pathetic, and it just might keep them in the minority for years to come.

Conservatives, Culture War, Lunatic Fringe, Media, Politics, Republicans

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